Jimmy Hausberg joined the board of directors in 2004 after attending the agency’s annual Strictly Business L.A. lunch and gala. He has chaired Strictly Business L.A. for several years Hausberg was honored at the JVS gala in 2011 and organized the tribute gala for his longtime friend Marshall Geller in November 2013 at which “Pursuit of Happyness” author Chris Gardner presented Geller with the JVS Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I believe in in the mission of JVS. I want to make a difference and help people in need,” says Hausberg. “I love challenges and I want to get the story out to more people. It all starts with getting people back to work.”

Hausberg is Managing Director and partner at HighTower Advisors. Over the course of a 32 year career as an investment advisor, Hausberg has worked in the private client groups of Credit Suisse First Boston/DLJ, Prudential Securities, Bear Stearns, and Shearson/Lehman. At Presidio Wealth Management, where he was Managing Director for seven years, Hausberg specialized in advising his clients on multiple investment strategies, helping them build customized portfolios based upon their goals, objectives, cash flow and liquidity needs as well as risk tolerance.

He serves on several nonprofit boards and has been an active member of many organizations in Los Angeles including the Concern Foundation for cancer research.

A native of New York, Hausberg graduated from the University of Southern California. He is an avid sportsman who also loves travel, comedy and reading. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Linda. They have two daughters, Danielle and Maddie.

Alan S. Levey, Chief Executive Officer

With tremendous experience across the corporate, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, Alan Levey is uniquely suited to lead JVS to the next level. Though new to his position as CEO as of January, 2016, Levey has been deeply involved with the organization as a donor and volunteer for many years. It is from these vantage points that he charts the JVS course as it moves into its 85th year of service.

“I want to explore ways to increase revenue by expanding, maximizing and leveraging our resources and partnerships, so we can help more people transform their lives for the better,” he says.

Levey came to JVS from City of Hope, where he most recently served as vice president of philanthropy. During his 14-year tenure at the esteemed facility, a world leader in the research and treatment of cancer and other diseases, Levey was responsible for the oversight of all Southern California chapters and eight regional offices as well as the management of national events and the “Next Generation” fundraising departments.

Prior to City of Hope, Levey was owner, president and CEO of Normark & Associates, which grew to become the largest perishable food brokerage company in the United States. He was also a general manager and shareholder of Acosta, the country’s top sales and marketing company.

Levey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management at San Diego State University, with a minor in psychology. He is married to Deborah Levey, who was the Executive Director of JVS Community Care at Home, the agency’s first and most successful social enterprise venture, for seven years.

Claudia Finkel, Chief Operating Officer

During her more than 25 year tenure with JVS, Claudia Finkel has helped JVS grow to a $17 million organization with a staff of more than 200. She is the executive in charge of all staff and agency services including programs that train individuals for careers in the banking industry (BankWork$™), the health care industry (HealthWorks™) assist veterans (Veterans First) and helping at-risk students, including foster and emancipated youth, land their first job.

Claudia is responsible for securing funding for these services, meeting with state and county representatives, lobbying Sacramento and developing new programs to meet the needs of Los Angeles’ ever-changing population. She is also responsible for the oversight of JVS’ WorkSource Centers in Marina del Rey, West Hollywood, the Antelope Valley and Pacoima.

Claudia studied at California State University, Northridge with the aim of being a social worker. Following stints at Hughes Aircraft, she returned to CSUN, emerging from the university with a Masters in Career Counseling. Claudia needed an internship and a friend suggested JVS, and Claudia joined the agency doing job development, employment matches and job placement out of a trailer at the JCC’s Milken campus in West Hills.

Claudia has made a difference in the lives of countless women through JVS’ innovative WoMentoring program. A concept created by Finkel, WoMentoring™ reaches out to disadvantaged, in-transition women in Los Angeles to help them successfully enter the workforce. Participants include single mothers, women on welfare, recent divorcees and professionals from organizations like Union Bank, the Los Angeles City Council. She was also instrumental in JVS’s effort to acquire the Career Planning Center and to get the facility licensed as a computer skills training school with the Bureau of Post-Secondary Education.

Licensed as a career counselor by the National Board of Certified Counselors, Claudia is also a Registered Career Counselor. She is the past president of the California Career Development Association and on the executive board of the International Career Development Conference. She is an adjunct faculty member at her alma mater, CSUN.

Pearle Rae and Mark Levey

A long time donor and JVS Board member, Pearle Rae is deeply involved in the work of the JVS Scholarship Fund. "I love the idea that the students write to me. With other projects that I'm involved in, you never get to see the results firsthand." Along with her husband Mark, she helped their scholarship student Ryan Abelowitz complete his dental studies.

Debbie and Rick Powell & Larry and Joyce Powell

Two generations of the Powell Family were honored with the agency's prestigious Lifetime of Service Award at JVS' 2010 Gala, where they also announced their gifts as founding donors to the JVS Legacy Society. A two-term JVS Board President, Rick and his father Larry remain active as leaders on the Board. While Joyce remains deeply committed to the JVS Scholarship Fund, Debbie has dedicated herself to the expansion of the WoMentoring program, establishing a highly successful donor support group, the JVS Women's Leadership Network. Setting the bar for family philanthropy and hands-on involvement, the Powell Family truly lives by their motto: Whatever It Takes!

Nancy Spielberg

Businesswoman, Philanthropist and Documentary Filmmaker

Margareta Pisarska, MD

Director of Cedars SinaiDivision of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility

TBD

Kiki Elrod is a former Miss North Carolina and 2nd Runner-Up to Miss America. She graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Music degree in Opera Performance, with the support of $50,000 in scholarships through the Miss America Organization.

Woman to Woman Conference

Resources for Job Seekers

JVSWorks Career Training

Veterans

Youth Programs

How You Can Help

Veterans

Harris Smith, Board President

With a long and distinguished career as a CPA and partner at Grant Thornton LLP, Harris Smith brings a wealth of business experience to his role as President of the JVS Board of Directors. Before taking the helm in January 2016, Smith previously served five years as a board member, most recently as Board Treasurer.

“I have been a CPA for 40 years and I understand howbusinesses work; I also understand non profit organizations and am passionate about the important role that JVS plays in our community,” Smith says. “Its mission is beyond reproach. As board president, I recognize that while we must stay true to our mission we also need to run a business and focus on growth and sustainability so that we can serve even more clients.”

In his years of service to JVS, Smith has always taken a hands-on approach, attending many graduations and getting to know the diverse groups of people that JVS serves.

“It is not possible to fully understand what JVS does unless you see it first hand and talk to our clients,” Smith says. “I believe it is vitally important to be an ambassador of JVS and to spread the word to others who can join us in helping others who are less fortunate.” Harris wants to focus his energy on diversifying our Board, increasing Board engagement, fundraising and expanding our partnerships throughout the Los Angeles community.

Smith recently added Professor to his list of job titles, as he is also an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Accountancy in the Leventhal School of Accountancy at the USC Marshall School of Business. In the summer of 2016 Smith will make a significant move in his career when he retires from Grant Thornton to teach full-time.

Smith is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. He holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Baltimore.

He is a member of the Association of Corporate Growth (ACG) LA Chapter; past president of ACG San Francisco; and past chairman of ACG Global.

Harris Smith and his wife, Jill, are the parents of twins, a daughter, Stephanie, and son, Jordan. They also have two beloved basset hounds, Ruby Wrinkles and Chloe Low E.